In the early morning of August 6, the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, the sky-high fire reflected half of the sky. The source of the sky-high fire is on the canal outside the Jingshi, in the direction of Tongzhou.

Tongzhou is the gateway to the east of Beijing, and it is also the place where the canal must pass before entering Beijing. Before the imperial court adjusted the nine towns of Gyeonggi a year ago, Tongzhou already had a town commander. After the adjustment, Tongzhou, Changping and Miyun were all subordinate to the Beijing Division Garrison Battalion.

Tianjin is the outermost town in Gyeonggi, and Tongju is already in the middle of Gyeonggi's defensive circle.

When the Praetorian Guard battalion in the capital received the report, they were greatly alarmed. Zhang Fuzhen, the assistant squire of the Praetorian Guard Battalion, Xu Yunzhen, the Governor of the Praetorian Guard, and Wang Dehua, the Minister of the Praetorian Guard Battalion, were at a loss.

Wang Dehua even thought that there had been a mutiny, and was almost ready to pack up his things and escape.

Zhang Fuzhen and Xu Yunzhen were a little calmer and sent people out of the city to investigate.

"My lord, the Chu army has mutinied, I heard that the Duke of Chu has come over with 100,000 Chu troops."

"The Duke of Chu has rebelled?" Xu Yunzhen didn't believe it at all, "Emperor Daxing gave the Duke of Chu the title of King of Liaodong County, and appointed him as the minister of Gu Ming, so glorious, he is the righteous son of Emperor Daxing, how can it be the opposite?" What's more, where did the Duke of Chu get his 100,000 army? ”

The messenger knelt on the ground, "My subordinates can't figure it out, the fire in Tongzhou is shining, the canal is like a fire dragon, and countless ships and warships are said to have mutinied in Tongzhou, and some say that the Chu army entered Beijing."

"The surname Ci was just assassinated in Tianjin, how could he turn around and bring troops into Beijing." Xu Yunzhen also glared at the man. "What's the slightly more reliable news?"

"After hearing that the Duke of Chu was assassinated, the Beiyang Naval Division occupied Tianjin Town and disarmed the soldiers and horses of Tianjin Town. Then now they are all the way down the canal into Beijing, and Tongzhou Town tried to block it, but they were directly defeated and captured Tongzhou City. He also said that he would enter the Beijing Division, support the Duke of Chu as the emperor, and change the dynasty! ”

"Nonsense!" Xu Yunzhen reprimanded. His ancestor was Xu Da, the founding marshal of the Ming Dynasty, who passed the title of Duke of Wei to his eldest son Xu Huizu after his death. Dingguo Gong is Xu Zengshou is Xu Da's youngest son, secretly helped King Yan during the Jingyan Change, was killed by Emperor Jianwen, and after Zhu Di won the world, he named his deceased wife and brother Xu Zengshou as Dingguo Gong, and made his son take the title.

The family of the founding marshal Xu Da is the most prosperous noble family of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Da was named the Duke of Wei during his lifetime, and was posthumously crowned the king of Zhongshan County after his death, and the three daughters were married to Zhu Yuanzhang's son as the princess. One of them later became queens, and the four sons also had two feudal princes. And the titles of Wei Guogong and Dingguo Gong have been passed down to this day, lasting for more than 200 years.

Wei Guogong's family has been in Nanjing, serving as a garrison. The first line of the Duke of the Kingdom is in Beijing, and it is also prosperous for a long time. Now that he is the commander of the Praetorian Guard, he knows very well that it is rare to be knighted among the nobles of the Ming Dynasty, although the title is precious, but the power is also limited.

Zhu Ciye was crowned a marquis with military merits, and then a prince of the country. Now that he is the king of the county, he can be said to be the first person in the Ming Dynasty. He has already been crowned king, how can he rebel?

"It's not a fool to give a surname, how can you rebel? To rebel. It's impossible to just come out of nowhere, how can you bring the elite of Liaodong together. ”

"Now there is chaos outside, and I don't know what is going on."

Wang Dehua will also sober up a little, "I can't believe these words." If you really want to rebel, you will have already killed in the capital, and what kind of Tongzhou will you fight. ”

Just when everyone is speculating. A group of men and horses arrived.

The commander of Jinyiwei made Liu Qiao arrive.

"The oracle has arrived!"

Wang Dehua and the three of them hurriedly stepped forward with a group of officers from the Praetorian Guard Battalion, "Dongqing, what's going on?" ”

"It was the prince of the county who received the prince's will and arrived in Beijing." Liu Qiao replied.

Then he read the prince's edict to the officials of the Praetorian Guard. The Yongding Gate guard is handed over to the Jinyi Guard!

"Isn't this okay?" Xu Yunzhen hesitated.

"This is the will of the new emperor, and the king of the county is ordered to enter Beijing." Liu Qiao reiterated again.

Zhang Fuzhen had a dark face, "Your Majesty summoned the county king to Beijing, but the county king led troops into Beijing, which is not in accordance with the rules." ”

While the two sides were at a standoff, officers from the Praetorian Guard battalion rushed to report.

"Jinyiwei has taken over Yongdingmen, and the Chu army has escorted the king of Liaodong County into Beijing!"

Zhang Fuzhen shouted angrily, "How dare he!" ”

Liu Qiao said on the side at this time, "The king of the county is not only the minister of care, but also the governor of Zhili, and the soldiers and horses of the nine towns of Gyeonggi are all controlled by the king of the county. At present, the emperor has just made a big move, and the new monarch has not yet ascended the throne, and the king of the county has brought some soldiers and horses to come, also to strengthen the defense of Gyeonggi and maintain stability. ”

"There are nine towns and horses in Gyeonggi, can't it protect the safety of Gyeonggi? Do you have to bring troops into Beijing from other towns? ”

Liu Qiao stood there and didn't speak, anyway, Liu Jun had already led troops into Beijing, which became a fact.

"No, our Praetorian Guard Battalion is responsible for the safety inside and outside the Beijing Division, and it is okay to give the surname to enter Beijing, but his soldiers and horses cannot enter Beijing, and must be stationed outside Tongzhou. Hurry up and send an order to take back control of Yongdingmen, so that the Chu army can withdraw from the city immediately. He shouted, "If the Chu army is allowed to enter the city, it will be a complete mess, where is the ancestral system?" ”

"This" Xu Yunzhen stood there hesitantly, this Chu army has entered the city, and if you want to let them out, I am afraid that it will be difficult.

"Dingguo Gong, what are you hesitating about?"

"Squire, what if the Chu army refuses to obey the order? Do you want to fight? Xu Yunzhen said, "I look at this matter, so it's better to report to the four sides first, and let them decide." ”

Not to mention that Liu Jun is now the king of the county, Liu Jun is still the governor of Zhili, the top boss of their Praetorian Guard Battalion, and he still has a minister who cares about his life, the boss of the boss. Xu Yunzhen, the Janissary Admiral, is actually only equivalent to a nominal name, and the real power is not as good as the Admiral of the Ministers and the Assistant Squire, and the soldiers and horses of the three towns of the Praetorian Guard Battalion are actually controlled by the general soldiers of the Three Towns and the deputy generals of the divisions and associations below.

Zhang Fuzhen was annoyed, and he looked at Wang Dehua. But Wang Dehua obviously didn't want to offend the new minister who was red and purple, so he didn't answer at all.

"Our family will report to the prince immediately, and everything will be up to the prince." After saying that, he ran first.

Zhang Fuzhen burst into a nameless fire, "I'll go and report to the three Gu Fate." ”

Zhang Fuzhen spent a long time without seeing the three Gu Ming, they were all in the Imperial City Cabinet, and finally only saw Chen Xinjia, the secretary of the Ministry of War.

"This soldier, give the surname and enter the city."

"I already know." Chen Xinjia said helplessly.

"Why didn't the soldiers order the Chu army to withdraw from the capital, and why did they let them enter the capital?"

Chen Xinjia sighed, "Tisheng, you don't know." The king of the county brought a full 30,000 Chu troops into Beijing, and they entered Beijing from Yongding Gate, and this kung fu, seven gates of the outer city and nine gates of the inner city, have all been taken over by the Chu army. In other words, now inside and outside the Jingshi, except for the imperial city and the palace city guarded by the factory guards, the Jingshi has been controlled by the surname. ”

"Zhu Ciye brought 30,000 troops into Beijing? What is he going to do, so daring! ”

"Hey. The official also sent someone to ask, and they said that they were guarding the king of the county into the capital to avoid being assassinated again. ”

"Nonsense, escort into Beijing, need 30,000 guards?"

Chen Xinjia smacked his mouth, "It's not all about guarding the county king, they also transported a lot of grain, grass and money into Beijing." ”

Zhang Fuzhen was a little puzzled, "Transporting money and grain into Beijing?" ”

"Well, it's about the food and salary for the three major battalions in Gyeonggi. There are also hundreds of officials, as well as money and food for Emperor Daxing to hold a funeral and build a mountain mausoleum. The silver was borrowed by the king of the county from the Four Seas Bank, and the grain was also purchased a long time ago to be escorted into Beijing by the Beiyang Naval Division, because Tianjin was assassinated. In addition, the emperor suddenly made a big move, and after the prince received the prince's order to summon him to Beijing, he entered Beijing with the Beiyang fleet transporting money and grain. ”

What he said made Zhang Fuzhen not know what to say.

The king of the county brought 30,000 sailors into Beijing. The reason is just to go along the way, because Beiyang is here to deliver money and grain

"But this is too contrary to the system after all"

Chen Xinjia said with a smile, "Brother Tisheng, you are a little too worried. Although the Chu army entered Beijing, their discipline was very good. The city was in good order, and there were no soldiers taking the opportunity to cause chaos. When they entered the city, they did not rob or disturb the people, nor did they even stay overnight. The Chu army sat in groups under the eaves on both sides of the street to rest, and they did bring a lot of grain and silver to Beijing. Speaking of this, Chen Xinjia had a very complicated feeling, "The nine towns of Gyeonggi have already cut off their salaries for March, and the soldiers are not small, if they can't solve it, it is really possible to make a mutiny, and now with this batch of money and food, at least they can stabilize the hearts of the Gyeonggi soldiers, otherwise, if something happens at this time, it will be fatal." ”

"Another thing, the king of the county was carried into Beijing, and I just visited him. Lying on the sickbed, his face was pale, and he couldn't even stand, if it wasn't for the prince's urgent call, he wouldn't have entered Beijing at all. ”

The night passed.

After dawn, the people in the inner and outer cities of the capital division opened the door of the house, and suddenly found that the streets were actually full of soldiers wearing blue robes and red horns overnight.

The soldiers sat under the eaves of their houses in groups and slept without them even knowing it. Many people closed the door again in panic, and after a while, seeing that there was no movement, they couldn't help but quietly open a crack to look outside.

"Uncle, we are the soldiers and horses of the Beiyang Navy Division under the command of the king of Liaodong County, and we will sleep under the eaves of your house for one night, so I am very disturbed." A young blue-clothed soldier bared a mouthful of big white teeth at him, and then said with a smile.

The uncle in the door was full of surprise when he heard that the person outside was actually the world-famous Chu Jun, and then couldn't help but knock the door a little more, "It turns out that you are the subordinates of the country's surname." ”

"How did you get into Beijing?"

"Uncle Hui, we are here to escort food and silver."

At this time, a whistle sounded outside, and an officer of the Chu army rode slowly past, leaving a loud order.

"Assemble, everyone gather, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to review my Beiyang brother in front of the Chengtian Gate, everyone immediately assembles and goes to the Chengtian Gate to wait for the review!"

After Liu Jun entered Beijing, he immediately reported to Zhu Cihong, and after getting permission to enter the palace, Liu Jun first went to worship and mourn in front of Chongzhen's spirit. Liu Jun was carried into the palace, not by putting on a shelf, but by the fact that his injuries on the surface were still very serious, and he couldn't walk, so he could only carry it.

After Liu Jun worshiped Chongzhen, without waiting for Zhou Yanru and others to fire, he immediately reported to Zhu Cihong, saying that he had brought a large amount of money and grain.

"When the minister was still in Liaodong, Emperor Daxing once told me that the government was in financial difficulties, that the soldiers and horses in the nine towns of Gyeonggi had been short of wages for several months, and that the treasury of the imperial court had been thirsty. Before entering Beijing this time, the minister had already raised a batch of grain and grass from all over the world, and dispatched the Beiyang Navy Division to transport it. Unexpectedly, he was assassinated in Tianjin, which delayed a lot of time, and then he was separated from His Majesty forever and did not see the last face. When Liu Jun spoke, his voice was weak, but what he said made the prince and others greatly moved.

"When the minister heard that the emperor was in a big deal, he knew that the funeral needed more money and food, and he was afraid that at this time, the soldiers and horses in various towns had been in arrears for a long time, so he didn't have time to ask His Highness, and directly escorted the grain and grass to Beijing, and asked His Highness to surrender the crime."

Zhou Yanru looked at Liu Jun's weak appearance, and couldn't help but be secretly happy in his heart. However, he still didn't want to let Liu Jun go easily, "Even if you escort money and grain into Beijing, there is no need to lead troops into the city." ”

"Lord Shoufu is right, after the money and grain are handed over to the court officials, I will order them to withdraw from the city and stay outside the city." Liu Jun said. In fact, as long as these Chu troops can be stationed in Gyeonggi, the goal has been achieved for Liu Jun. He didn't really plan to mutiny and rebel immediately and become emperor.

Led troops into the city last night, but it was just to take a step back today, as long as this Chu army was stationed in Gyeonggi, Liu Jun's goal would be achieved.

Hearing that Liu Jun so happily agreed to withdraw the Chu army out of the city again, Zhou Yanru and Wu Fu and others were a little surprised, but the prince didn't react much, but Queen Zhou's face was obviously much better.

"How much silver did the king of the county bring into Beijing?" Liu Zongzhou asked. Yesterday they discussed for a long time, but they didn't think of any good way to get the large amount of money for funeral treatment and the cost of building the mountain mausoleum, not to mention the military salary of the nine towns of Gyeonggi.

"Two million silver dollars."

"It's only two million silver dollars?" Wu Fu was a little disappointed.

"By the end of the month, I will be able to raise three million silver dollars, which should be able to last for a while." Liu Jun said.

With the promise of two million dollars in silver, and three million yuan, plus Liu Jun's happy agreement to withdraw the troops from the capital immediately, and perhaps Liu Jun's weak appearance, in the end, Zhou Yanru, Wu Fu, Liu Zongzhou, the three ministers who took care of their lives, and other ministers, finally did not delve into the matter of Liu Jun leading the army into Beijing.

However, the crown prince also made a request, before the Chu army withdrew from the capital, he would personally inspect the soldiers and horses of Beiyang Town who escorted money and grain to Beijing at Chengtianmen.

"Minister Zhu Ciye obeys the order!"

Out of the palace, Liu Jun immediately sent someone to pass the order, so that all the departments would assemble and drive to Chengtianmen to accept the review of the new monarch.

From today on, Liu Jun will be the king of Liaodong County of the Ming Dynasty.

Qin Cha Zhili Governor, the Governor of the Military Governor of the Palm, the Young Master, the Young Master, the Shao Bao, the Shangzhu State, the Military Department Shangshu, the Left Deputy Capital Yushi, the rank of General, Gu Ming Auxiliary Minister, Liaodong County King Zhu Ciye. (To be continued.) )